Apparatus for signaling upon railways.



Patented July 4,- I899.

w. BRIEBLEY. APPARATUS FOR SIGNALING UPON BAILWAYS.

(Application filed Dec. 28, 1897.)

4 Sheets-Sheet l.

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WFNSSsS- ff-W No. 628,299. Patented July 4, I899.

BRIEBL EX;

APPARATUSIFOR SIGNALING UPONRAILWAYS.

(Application filed Dec. 28, 1897.)

4 Sheets-$heat 2.

(No Model.)

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No. 628,299. Patented July '4, 1899.

. A W. BRIERLEY.

APPARATUS FOR SIGNALING UPON RAILWAYS.

I A i li ation filed 1300.28, 1897.) (No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet a.

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WYNFoRnBmERLEY No. 628,299. Patented July 4, I899.

w. BRIERLEY APPARATUS FOR Sl-BNALING UPON 'KAILWAYS.

(Application filed Doc. 28, 1897.)

(no Model.) 4 sheets-shah: 4.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

' WYNFORD BRIERLEY, OF NELSON, ENGLAND.

=APPARATUS FOR'SIGNALING UPON RAILWAYS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 628,299, dated July 4, 1899.

Application filed December 28,1897. Serial No. 664,099. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:-

7 Be it known that I, WYNFORD BRIERLEY, a subject of the Queen of Great Britain, residing at Nelson, in the county of Lancaster, England, have invented new and useful Improved Apparatus for Signaling Upon Railways, of which the following is a specification.

The objects of this invention are to prevent accidents on railway trains coming in contact with each other and to reduce the liabilities to accidents on railways generally, to dispense with the use of detonators, and to provide by a means of sound What the present system does by means of sightnamely, a signal to the engine-driver or guard on a train in motion when at danger and when to proceed when at safety.

The object of the invention is, moreover,

not to supplant but to supplement (for greater safety) the system now in use. By the apparatus whichI have invented the person in charge of a train is enabled to tell when the signal is F on or off at such times as it is impossible to see the semaphore on account of fog or other. obstructions.

My invention will be readily understood on reference to'the accompanying drawings.

Figure 1 shows an engine semaphore home signal and adjuncts necessary for carrying my invention into practice. Fig. 1 shows a plan of the permanent way and signal. Figs. 2, 3, and 4 show, detached and enlarged, the lever and its adjuncts fixed to the engine. Fig. 3 shows a modification thereof. Figs. 5, 6, 7, andSare views, drawn to an enlarged scale, of the contact-bar to be actuated by the signalman.

The invention consists principally in th use of a lever a, (see Figs. 2, 3, and 4,) mounted upon the engine'(see Fig. 1) or other suitable part of the. train insuch a position as to come in contact with a suitable unyielding projection 17 upon the permanent way (see also Figs. 1 and 1) governed by the signalman or a projection b, the said lever a hanging upon a suitable center a and held in place by two reversed springs c 0, Figs. 2, 3, and 4, of equal-strength, so that the lever a is relieved of all undue shock and will act equally well when the engine or train ismov- In carrying my invention into practice I provide ashaft a, carriedin suitable bearings, upon which are fixed two strong spiral springs c c in planes at right angles to the shaft and arranged in reverse order to each other, a sus pended lever to being held in equilibrio between and by the springs c and c, which are carried along in the line X X. (Shown dotted at Fig. 1 The springs c and c are fastened to the shaft a by means of rivets, as shown, or screws, which pass through shoulders on each side of the springs and are securely lugged to a bar 0 which is also supported in bearings preferably inclosed in the same case A, as shown. vWhen the lever a passes over a bar 12 near the line, (or rail,) it'is deflected and always comes back after the impact to its center automatically and is thus ready for action again no matter in which direction the train is moving. One of the springs c or c closes as the other opens, each thus acting as a resistant to the other.

The'chief advantages of mounting the lever a in such a way that it is held in place by two springs'acting against each other and coiled around the center or pivotal point of the lever and lying in planes at right angles to the shaft and parallel to the plane of motion of the lever are, first, that the lever is held vertically no matter how long the apparatus has been atwork and will not take a bias toone side or other according as the blows come more frequently or entirely in one direction, and, secondly, the lever can be deflected more easily and to a much greater ex? tent when held in place by these springs than when any other springs are used, because the springs being coiled around the center yield in the actual direction of the motion or swing of the lever.

A bell or other suitable electric alarm (indicated at d, Fig. 1) is mounted on the engine or other suitable part of the train, to be thrown into action by the swinging of the lever a when it strikes the barb b. In the construction illustrated in Figs. 1 to 4: this signal (1 is connected by conductors a a to insulated contact-springs a a within the case A. In the present instance these contact-springs are arranged in pairs, and I provide on the shaft a a projection or cam a which, as shown in Fig. 2, lies between the inner springs of the two pairs a a. In Fig. 2 the cam or projection a is shown as consisting ofa ring withits opposite sides slabbed, so that when the lever a lies in the perpendicular position shown the inner springs of the pairs will lie against the slabbed sides of the cam-ring, and in consequence the lower ends of these inner springs will be out of contact with their adjacent respective outer springs, as shown in Fig. 2. When, however, the lever a strikes the bar I) Z) and causes the shafta to turn, the wider diameters of the cam-ring a will press the inner springs outward into electrical contact with the outer springs and close the circuit through the bell (Z and battery to give the alarm.

I prefer to inclose the parts a a a in between the plates A A in the case A, whereby they may be kept from damp, dust, &c., the wires a a coming through the cord-grip A (See Fi 3.)

By a modification of the apparatus seen at Fig. 3" a 1n agneto-bell may be operated. This is effected by an insulated coil of wire a being mounted on the shaft a on the block a (seen detached on the figure) and so arranged as to form an armature to oscillate near the poles of a magnet or magnets a thus generating a current of electricity without the use of batteries, the current being conveyed by wires a a to a suitable magneto-bell on the train.

It will be observed that my improvements do not necessitate any electric connection between the engine and the signal-box.

By another modification of the apparatus, if preferred, a mechanical alarm-bell or a gong may be operated, the steam-whistle blown, the steam-supply to the engine shut off, or the vacuum-brake applied. The deflection of the lever a as it passes over the contact-bar Z) or 7) enables an arrangement to be made to bring about this result, a cord, rod, or wire being attached to the shaft and communicating with the lovers of the various appliances named in any known manner.

The contact-bar I) may be arranged to be moved into and out of the path of the lever to on the locomotive by any suitable means under the control of a switchman or signalman. In Fig. 1 I have shown the connection as such that the moving of the lever U, which operates the semaphore D will at the same time throw the barb into the path of the lever a on the locomotive. For this purpose a wire, rod, chain, or cord N, which may be run over pulleys, forms a connection between the lever b and the rod or bar I), which, as shown in Figs. 5 to S, is arranged to slide horizontallyin bearings b in the case 0. A spring .9, Fig. 6, tends to push the bar I) outward into the path of the lever a on the locomotive. \Vhen, however, the lever 79 of the semaphore is operated to put the semaphore as at line clear, the bar Z) will be at the same time, through the wire b or other connection, drawn back against the spring 8. A signalbell B may be provided at the semaphorepost and connected through the wires and the battery to contacts controlled by the sliding barb in such a way that when the semaphore is moved from the danger or block position to the position line clear and the bar I) in the case 0 is simultaneously drawn back the bell on the semaphore-post will ring, attracting the attention of the engineer whose locomotive will have been brought to a standstill near the semaphore-post. For this purpose I provide in the box 0 two springs c 6, Figs. 5 and 7, and upon the rod b I pivot a hanging piece b formed with the catch N, which when the rod 1) is withdrawn by the wire I) bears against the lower side of the rod and depresses the spring c, Fig. 5, into contact with the spring e. These two springs are in a circuit with the wires 6 6 leading to the signal-bell B, and consequently causing the latter to ring. Vhen the contact-rod l) is moved outward again by the spring 6, the catch-piece b is free to swing backward with out depressing the spring-contact 6 into contact with the finger e. Instead of the described contacts in the box 0, I may use those illustrated at ff, Fig. 6, and in such case I mount upon the barb a metallic ringf, such that when the bar 7) is moved in either direction this ring f will close the circuit between the spring-fingers ff to ring the bell. A rod or roller 1), Fig. 1, may be fixed at a suitable distance-say two hundred yardsfrom the distant signal to warn the enginedriver that he is approaching a signal, or the rod or roller I) may be fixed at any other point where a warning may be desirablc-say, for example, temporarily some distance in front of a gang of workmen in the permanent way. Finally, a lever, such as the lever a, with its shaft, reversed springs, and electric contacts or induction apparatus, as above described, may be suitably fitted on the permanent way in combination with a suitable signal in the signal box or cabin or other place and a suitable proj cction or contact-bar carried by, say, the guards van or the last carriage of a train. The lever will then act as a treadle to indicate that no part of the train can have been left in the section of line governed by the signalman or to indicate, if desired, to a station-master or others that the train is approaching a station or other place. The application of this arrangement is evident without further illustration.

I claim as my invention- A railway signaling device comprising an audible signal and an operating means in two parts, one on the permanent way, and the other on the train, one of said parts consisting of an unyielding projection, and the other of a lever adapted to swing upon a center and to be deflected by said projection to operate the signal, in combination with two spiral springs coiled in reverse directions around the axis of motion of the swinging lever, in planes at right angles to said axis and parallel with the line of motion of :the lever caused by its impact with the projection, substan 1o tially as and for the purpose set forth.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two witnesses.

WVYNFORD BRIERLEY.

WVitnesses:

H. D. JAMESON, A. NUTTINGL 

